Shared hybrid fiber-coax network having reduced ingress noise

Claim 2

The hybrid fiber-coax network according to claim 1 wherein the network includes a plurality of repeaters dispersed along the trunk coax.

Claim 3

The hybrid fiber-coax network according to claim 1 wherein the network includes at least one upstream amplifier and wherein at least one repeater is housed with the upstream amplifier.

Claim 4

The hybrid fiber-coax network according to claim 1 wherein the network includes at least one upstream amplifier and wherein at least one repeater is housed adjacent to the upstream amplifier.

Claim 5

The hybrid fiber-coax network according to claim 1 wherein said repeater regenerates subscriber-originated information within a predefined frequency range.

Claim 6

The hybrid fiber-coax network according to claim 1 wherein the subscriber-originated information is re-generated and re-multiplexed into the same spectrum as the subscriber-originated information on the trunk coax.

Claim 7

The hybrid fiber-coax network according to claim 1 wherein the repeater shifts the regenerated signal in spectrum from the input signal.

Claim 8

The hybrid fiber-coax network according to claim 1 wherein the repeater shifts the regenerated signal in time from the input signal.

Claim 9

The hybrid fiber-coax network according to claim 1 wherein the repeater extracts the subscriber-originated signals not with a first prescribed bandwidth and recombines such signals with said digitally regenerated subscriber information.

Claim 10

The hybrid fiber-coax network according to claim 1 wherein the repeater regenerates digital subscriber-originated information within a first prescribed bandwidth and blocks signals within said first prescribed bandwidth not allocated another repeater.

Claim 11

The hybrid fiber coax network according to claim 1 wherein the repeater only regenerates subscriber-originated information when such information is properly detected on the coax trunk.

Claim 12

The hybrid fiber-coax network according to claim 11 wherein the information is detected in accordance with its level.

Claim 13

The fiber-coax network according to claim 11 wherein the information is detected in accordance with its preamble and clock signal.

Claim 14

The hybrid fiber-coax network according to claim 11 wherein the information is detected in accordance with a valid error rate.

Claim 15

The hybrid fiber-coax network of claim 1 wherein the repeater regenerates subscriber information at a level proportional to its input level.

Claim 16

The hybrid fiber-coax network according to claim 1 including multiple repeaters for re-generating subscriber-originated information in multiple frequency bands.

Claim 17

The hybrid fiber-coax network of claim 1 wherein the repeater blocks information that is not properly detected and a valid level and format signal containing information about such blocked information.

Claim 18

The hybrid fiber-coax network according to claim 1 wherein the repeater comprises: an analog-to-digital converter for digitizing the subscriber-originated information; a digital filter for passing information within a preselected frequency band; means for demodulating the information within the preselected band; a receiver having a prescribed modulation format for receiving the demodulated information a transmitter having the same prescribed modulation format as the receiver for transmitting the received information; a modulator for modulating the transmitted information; and a diplexer for separating and combining the upstream and downstream information, respectively, from and to, respectively, the trunk coax.

Claim 20

The method according to claim 19 wherein the step of regenerating the subscriber-originated information includes the steps of: filtering the digitized subscriber-originated information to pass the information in a preselected band; demodulating the information within the preselected band; receiving the demodulated information via a receiver having a prescribed modulation format transmitting the information received by the receiver in accordance with said prescribed modulation format; modulating the transmitted information; and injecting the transmitted information into the trunk coax.

Claim 21

The method according to claim 19 wherein the filtering step includes the step of bypassing subscriber-originated information that is not within the preselected band.

Claim 22

The method according to claim 19 wherein the filtering step includes the step of blocking information within the preselected band for non-regeneration to allow use of such information by a second repeater without adding any noise at said second repeater.

Claim 23

The method according to claim 20 wherein the prescribed modulation format is Quadrature Phase Shift Keying.

Claim 24

The method according to claim 20 wherein the prescribed modulation format is Quadrature Amplitude Modulation.

Claim 25

The method according to claim 20 wherein the prescribed modulation format is Carrierless Amplitude Modulation.

Claim 26

The method according to claim 20 wherein the prescribed modulation format is Digital Multi-Tone.

Claim 27

The method according to claim 20 wherein the prescribed modulation format is Digital Wavelet Multi-Tone.

Claim 28

The method according to claim 19 wherein the subscriber-originated information is regenerated in multiple frequency bands.

Claim 29

The method according to claim 19 wherein the subscriber-originated information is regenerated by receiving the information via a single receiver and then transmitting the received information via a single transmitter.

Claim 30

The method according to claim 19 wherein the subscriber-originated information is regenerated by receiving the information with multiple receivers and then transmitting the information via multiple corresponding transmitters.

Claim 31

The method according to claim 19 wherein the subscriber-originated information is regenerated at a preset output level.

Claim 32

The method according to claim 19 wherein the subscriber-originated information is regenerated at an output level dependent on the input level of the received information.

Claim 33

The method according to claim 19 wherein the subscriber-originated information is regenerated in a particular frequency band in at least one time slot associated with said main coax trunk.

Claim 34

The method according to claim 19 wherein the subscriber-originated information is regenerated in a particular frequency band in time slots shared with multiple repeaters on at least one coax trunk.

Claim 35

The method according to claim 19 further including the step of utilizing downstream signal information for clock and framing reference purposes.

Claim 36

The method according to claim 19 wherein the digitally regenerated subscriber information passes on said coax and is digitally regenerated by a second repeater.

Claim 37

The method according to claim 19 wherein the said information having said preselected modulation format comprises a burst, multiple access signal and wherein said signal is converted into a continuous point-to-point signal.

Claim 38

The method according to claim 37 wherein the continuous point-to-point signal has a modulation format the same as said burst, multiple access signal.

Claim 39

The method according to claim 37 wherein the continuous point-to-point signal has a different same modulation format as said burst, multiple access signal.

Claim 40

The method according to claim 19 including the step of deriving a downstream signaling channel received by the repeater for the purpose of operations, performance monitoring, repeater configuration control and repeater software download